Tag Archives: Brazil

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When it comes time to renew your passport or obtain a visa for entry to a country, remember to check if there are any available coupons. Perks for using coupons can range from money off fees to free passport photographs.

To beat the wait-time for obtaining your passport or travel visa through the State Department, it’s much faster to use an expediting service. It is especially beneficial to outsource the acquisition of your travel visa. Every country has unique requirements and even missing one thing can hold up the process.

All you have to do is print the paperwork and documents we ask for, send into Texas Tower for processing. In as fast as 24-hours, we can have your passport ready. Visas can also be acquired faster and you can save a trip to the consulate, we do the legwork for you.
So why wouldn’t you want to save on these services when you can?

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It’s December 1st and it’s time look ahead to 2018. We put together five destinations that are proving to be popular this coming year.

Angra dos Reis, Brazil
In 2016, Brazil hosted the Summer Olympics and the influx of people visiting for the games turned into travel into outlying cities. The tourism board of Brazil is hoping to bring back the waiver to encourage another boom in tourism. A place well worth checking out is Angra dos Reis. This popular destination is where many of the country’s elite go to escape the crowds and own beach villas in the area. There are plans to open a 54-suite luxury hotel in the area as well as a golf course, more restaurants, and a marina.

Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade has been steadily growing since the end of the Yugoslav wars. The areas once covered in damage from fighting and graffiti has become restaurants and bars. The nightlife is vibrant and there are numerous night markets to take advantage of the local street foods. One of the biggest draws for tourists is the growing craft-beer brewing that has been showing no signs of slowing down.

Bermuda
Bermuda hasn’t been on any travel lists for a few years due to a financial crisis that left their tourism in a stagnant state. Bermuda has been shaking off the dive their tourism industry took and has been working on rebuilding and attracting travelers back to their island nation. Along with an improved economy, Bermuda is performing a 100-million dollar overhaul of the Hamilton Princess and Beach Club, the islands 132-year old grand attraction for guests to stay in. Other luxury hotels are also getting modern makeovers to ensure the tourist industry gets back on its feet and stays strong.

Cambodian Coast
Want to do something off the beaten path that is also beautiful?
Cambodia has some of Southeast Asia’s most intriguing islands to visit, but getting to them has been difficult involving hours of travel. Now direct flights are being arranged from Ho Chi Minh City. Luxury spas are among the jewels you can find on Krabey Island and on Koh Russey, you can dine on traditional Khmer cuisine.

Guayaquil, Ecuador
Many travelers go through Guayaquil on their way to the Galápagos, but it is worth exploring on its own. New luxury hotels have opened to entice travelers to stay a little longer and enjoy what this country has to offer. There is also a wildlife sanctuary set on a former cacao plantation. The capital city has been modernized with playgrounds, galleries, museums, gardens, and even a Ferris wheel.

Search around at sites like Kayak for deals on international travel fares. For many of these destinations you will need a valid passport only, no travel visa required. If you aren’t sure, talk to us and we can tell you what documentation you’ll need for your destination country.

The Amazon Basin is where the majority of people will say would be the best place to view the wildlife. Actually, you’re more likely to encounter these same animals in the Pantanal.

What is the Pantanal?
Considered the world’s largest freshwater wetlands, the Pantanal is a mosaic of rivers, lakes, swamps, and mudflats.

Where is the Pantanal located?
Although mostly in Brazil, the wetlands creep across the border into neighboring Paraguay and Bolivia — a total area nearly as large as the island of Great Britain or the state of Utah.

What animals are most often seen in The Pantanal?
Hands down, the Pantanal is the single best place on the planet for viewing jaguars in the wild. Among the region’s other intriguing species are giant anteaters, blue-and-gold hyacinth macaws, capybaras and tapirs, giant river otters, the rare and endangered maned wolf, massive anacondas and the ubiquitous caiman. A South American cousin of the crocodile, caiman are found in astounding numbers — an estimated 10 million.

Who are the cowboys of the Pantanal?
The pantaneiro — Cowboys that carry on a lifestyle that originated in the 1700s, when the Pantanal was settled by ranchers moving up from the Brazilian coast. Riding horses that have evolved adaptations for long hours of working in water, the pantaneiro manage herds of gray, humpbacked Brahmin cattle that often number into the thousands.

What are some local dishes I should try?
Two of the area’s cowboy culinary favorites are arroz de carreteiro or “oxcart rice” (a mixture of rice and beef jerky) and sopa paraguaya (a cake-like mixture of corn, cheese, onions and water similar to cornbread).

Do I need a visa to visit?
Yes, you will need both a travel visa and valid passport for this trip. Talk to us, we can help you with both!

Beginning June 1st, 2016, Brazil has made it a whole lot easier for U.S. citizens that are planning to attend the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio August 5th through the 21st, by waiving the requirement for a travel visa to enter. You will still need a passport in good standing.

How long will the visa waiver be in place?
According to Henrique Alves, Brazil’s minister of tourism, the visa waiver program will allow citizens of Australia, Canada, the United States and Japan, all normally required to obtain visas to travel to Brazil, to enter the country without visas between June 1 and Sept. 18, 2016.

Has this been done previously in Brazil?
Yes. In 2014, Brazil experimented with waiving the visa requirement during the World Cup, and the move resulted in a record one million travelers visiting the country over a 2 month period in the summer.

What is the length of validity for the visa waiver?
The exemption from the visa requirement is valid for 90 days, and this period will count from the first visitor entry into the country.

Does this cover travelers from the United States?
Yes, tourists from Australia, Canada, the U.S. or Japan who want to benefit from the measure should thus enter Brazil from June 1 until Sept. 18, 2016.

When does the visa waiver end?
Starting on Sept. 19, 2016, the usual visa requirement for the countries mentioned above, currently in force, will again be required.

How will the process of entry work for tourists exempted from obtaining visas?
The procedure will be the same for all other foreigners coming to Brazil. After disembarking the plane, they will have to go through customs and immigration control at seaports and airports. What changes is not the entry procedure, but the facilitation of travel, since tourists will no longer need to go to the Brazilian consulates and embassies to obtain visas.

Does this only apply to tourists visiting Brazil for the Olympics?
No. To travel to Brazil at that time, visitors simply need to have a valid passport and roundtrip tickets.

What is the financial means statute?
Tourists should be able, if necessary, to prove financial means to remain in the country if called upon by the immigration authorities, as may occur with all visitors who come to Brazil.

Are the airlines aware of this waiver?
Yes, the Brazilian government created a task force to keep all entities and agencies informed.

With the appearance of the Zika virus appearing in Texas, it’s now a concern for both North and South America. Specifically, Brazil is getting nervous as the Zika virus is another in a list of issues that is making the country hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics a tall order to fill.

The Zika virus is strongly linked, though not yet proven, to cause microcephaly in developing infants. In some South American countries, women are being advised to postpone pregnancy for the next 2 years. Although the latest information from the CDC estimates a vaccination for Zika at approximately ten years away.

What are the symptoms of the Zika virus?
About 1 in 5 people infected with Zika virus become ill (i.e., develop Zika). The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes). Other common symptoms include muscle pain and headache.

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Disclosure

TexasTower.net is registered, but not affiliated, with the US Government for obtaining travel documents. Our service charges an additional fee to expedite your passport in 24 hours to 12 days. If you do not wish to use our services, you can obtain your passport directly from the U.S. Department of State in 4-7 weeks.